Soni Foti

20 August 2005

An Interview with Sondra Griffin Foti. She is currently directing Smoke on the Mountain Homecoming, Feb 14 - 23, 2008

Soni is a speech/language pathologist at Tate Elementary in Van Buren, and also owns and manages residential and commercial property. She is married to Richard S. Foti who is the principal at Trusty Elementary.  Rick has extensive theatre experience in his own right and may return to theatre when he retires in 3 years. 

FSLT: When did you start in Fort Smith Little Theatre?
FOTI: Connie Freeman invited me to come to auditions back in 1963. I landed a part in the chorus of Little Mary Sunshine. I also took on the job of taking reservations for the show. That was before the theatre had an answering machine so someone had to sit there at the theatre and answer the phone. I would go to the theatre in the afternoons and sit and answer the phone, and then stay on for rehearsals.

FSLT: What experience did you have when you started at Fort Smith Little Theatre?
FOTI: I had done theatre in grade school, Junior High and High school and always loved it. I was always a singer and had taken part in several things. There was a group of singing students of teacher Ella Allen. We sang at Fort Chaffee and at the USO club downtown. We also sang on the radio and when Channel 5 first began broadcasting, we were on a 30-minute show on Monday evenings.

FSLT: Did you suffer from stage fright in those early performances?
FOTI: I still do. It’s not as severe as it was when I started, but I still get nervous before a show.

FSLT: Do you have a favorite directing role?
FOTI: Come Back To the Five and Dime Jimmy Dean Jimmy Dean because it was technically challenging. It used flashbacks and multiple playing areas. And I liked the story. Smoke on the Mountain and Sanders Family Christmas both stand out in my mind because I like the Bluegrass music. They were both successful shows and if another play came out concerning the Sanders Family, I would direct it in a minute.

FSLT: Any Directing Disasters that stand out in your mind?
FOTI: Not really. I’ve had actors who were very late showing up before the show, but they did show up. We’ve had all the usual problems like costumes left at home or falling apart just before the show. When we used food in a play, we went to the fridge just before the show and found the bread was all moldy. Hopefully we dealt with all the problems well enough that the audience never noticed. I’ve been fortunate in having good cast and crew members who could handle most any problem that came up.

FSLT: What other plays would you like to direct?
FOTI: The Bells Are Ringing, by Jule Styne, Compton and Green. Agatha Christie’s first ever stage play, Black Coffee, would be fun to do. I’ve also looked at a musical called Pump Boys and Dinettes. I was just telling someone the other night that I would like to direct The Diary of Anne Frank again.

FSLT: You show up in our database in 23 roles as an actor? Do you have a favorite role?
FOTI: The Mother Superior in Nunsense and again in Nunsense II. April in Hot_l Baltimore. My favorite bio quote in one of the programs was “from a nun to a hooker in one year”.

FSLT: How do you choose a play to perform in?
FOTI: I like to play crazy old ladies, like the aunt in The Man Who Came to Dinner, or Those Crazy Ladies in the House on the Corner. I like character roles, roles that let me be someone else for a while. That’s really when I feel the magic of the theatre, when I can feel like I am someone else. And of course I like anything in a musical. When I’m looking at a play, I try to see if I fit the part in age, size, activity, vocal part, and so on.

FSLT: Are there any specific roles would you like to do?
FOTI: Not really. I’ll just judge them as they come along.

FSLT: In all those roles, did you have any acting disasters that stick out in your mind?
FOTI: Nothing special. I’ve avoided costume problems because I always check my costume before the show, but I’ve missed cues or come in late on cues, stuff we’ve all done. It bothers me when I forget lines. I can cover other people okay when they go blank, but when it’s me, I just get that deer-in-the-headlights feeling.

FSLT: You have over 30 credits as a crew person, everything from Box Office to Bathrooms. Do you have any preferences in backstage work?
FOTI: No. Every job backstage has to be done by someone and if that’s where I’m needed, then that’s where I am.

FSLT: Do you consider yourself primarily an actor, a crew person or a director?
FOTI: I think I’m a little bit of all of them. Early on I learned from people like Ed Drimmel and Connie Freeman that there’s a place for everyone in theater. I want to hand that on to the younger people starting now.

FSLT: Do you have a preference for any of those areas?
FOTI: I have no preference for what I do in theater. I will do any job on a play just to be a part of the whole experience.

FSLT: Where do you get your energy? What keeps you going in theater?
FOTI: I love theatre. It is one of my passions. I’ll go see any play, anywhere.

FSLT: What do you find rewarding about theatre?
FOTI: Watching plays gives me ideas I can take home with me, things I can file away and maybe use later.

FSLT: Why do you put so much time and effort into an unpaid volunteer activity?
FOTI: I don’t know. I try to be selective. There is only so much time to give to theater, music, church and school. In order to do a good job, you can’t spread yourself too thin. I don’t have to be the best at what I do, but I want to do a good job.

FSLT: How has theatre affected your life?
FOTI: It has helped me mature. I used to yell at everyone and insist that they do it my way. Now I’ve learned to listen to their ideas, to try them out and see what works best. It has helped me with patience, in my relationships to people, in every aspect of my life.

FSLT: Is there anything you'd like to add?
FOTI: I want to remind everyone that we are a true community theater and that all members of the community are welcome. It’s nice if you have some theater training or background but it’s not required. Anyone can try out for a play or volunteer for any backstage job.

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